Graphical user interface (GUI) components include windows, frames, menus and “buttons” that provide convenient one-click access to a multitude of functions in a given software application. Example GUI components can be viewed in FIG. 1 which illustrates a prior art diagram of a typical software application user interface 10. Included in user interface 10 are pulldown menus FILE, EDIT, VIEW and HELP. Example buttons are labeled as A through G. In practice, when one of the GUI buttons is depressed, a software function is executed such as print, open file or save. Therefore, use of the buttons can save an end user the trouble of having to navigate through the pulldown menus to find the desired function.
While certainly convenient, user interface 10 suffers from a number of deficiencies. If the end user wishes to customize which components are visible, a complicated tool typically needs to be employed to hide and add components. Additionally, the end user's settings can easily be altered if the computer is shared among multiple users.
In another example, it is often desirable to define custom tool-sets for various classes of users. For example, a system administrator may need access to all functions assigned to components, a supervisor may have access to most components and a computer operator may only need access to an even smaller set. User interface 10 typically can not handle this level of customization without extensive programming tied to a login process.
In view of the foregoing, it may be useful to provide methods and systems for managing the visibility of GUI components while negating the need for additional, involved software development.